We’re All Curators

Not too long ago, the NY Times ran a very interesting story that covered the emerging new marketing buzzword — Curate. This week Steve Rosenbaum added a new perspective in the Huffington Post introducing the notion of a Curation Nation. Fascinating read.

Certainly the concept and theme around agreggation as well as compiling and sharing content is nothing new, but the art and technology around this process is certainly changing. It has evolved to the point where we’re all becoming curators without even realizing it — whether that is through Twitter lists, Foursquare, Facebook or a seemingly endless array of platforms.

For brands the challenge remains how they can either move beyond simple content aggregation for aggregation sake and add value to the chain…or find a way to be an essential element in the content that is being curated. In other words, do you create the content that is curated or do you curate the content yourself?

I happen to believe that, for most bands, the best approach will be a blend of the two where they can deliver an experience that intersects the conversation around a particular area while creating and sharing relevant original content that adds to the dialogue. Its not about “owning” a topic or subject, its more about being a relevant listener and contributor to the conversation around that topic or subject.